by Diante Graffagnino

Throughout my time at butler, I have come to know what a community is and the what word community means to me.  I have learned that a community is a group of people that supports one another.  A community is a conglomerate of friends, of family, and sometimes of strangers, who move together in congruity.  A community is a safe place that allows every member of the whole to have their own identity.  I believe that, fundamentally, every human being strives for this strong sense of community.

I have had the privilege to work with the Center for Interfaith Cooperation (CIC) whose mission is to foster a community where people from a wide range of backgrounds can dialogue about relevant topics in their lives.  I have been part of meetings, banquets, seminars, and other events that have been made up of people with unique backgrounds all coming together to show support for one another.  One of my favorite events was a small celebration for outgoing Episcopal Bishop Kate Waynick and incoming Bishop-Elect Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows.  I was honored to be asked if I would play piano during this celebration of accomplishments and ambitions.

My friends at the CIC have helped me to see the value in conversation between existing groups of people.  New relationships and bonds can form just by reaching out to other communities.   In this way, I began to see the pattern that exists and a necessity of an interpersonal relationship and how it is just as necessary for that to expand into an intercommunal relationship.  The CIC invigorates the intercommunal relationship perfectly by acting as a catalyst for these essential interactions.

It has been my pleasure to work at the Center for Interfaith Cooperation this past spring.  I will use the all-embracing attitude that the CIC cultivates for the rest of my life.  Most importantly, I am thankful to have been able to work in a place that I can also call my community.